epidemiology | EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

Entry tags:

EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS

Following guild Ophelia's first mission, after which the temporal shard was found and safely disposed of back on Headquarters, Guild Master Imogen informs them they've received a contract to help ease tensions in a land known as Hanabira, on an unnamed planet designated as Hathaway-484. However, the contract is from a third party and the Hanabirans themselves do not know about interdimensional travel, she explains, so it'll be best to announce Ophelia as visitors from a foreign land. Any strange appearances or abilities will be able to be brushed off as magic, as the Hanabirans are no strangers to things such as ogres and imps. They're given five days to look over the dossier, and then it's through the rift they go.

Those who are new to rift travel may find themselves a bit dizzy on the way out, but overall, everything seems to have gone according to plan. Upon arrival, their magitek projects words in front of their eyes that only they can see:

Location reached: HANABIRA.

No events scheduled. You may wish to survey the surrounding area.

» LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS
A militaristic society that values strength. Main sources of income: mining, foresting, hunting, blacksmithing. Heavy matriarchal ideals. Empress NAMA resides at the HEAVENLY SUMMIT.

Those who attempt to reach the Heavenly Summit, which turns out to be the name of a castle situated on the tallest mountain peak, will not make it very far. Empress Nama's guards have no time for foreign strangers attempting to enter the castle without an audience, and there are plenty of them. It looks like that plan of action is going to take some time to rethink.

There's still much more to look at, though. In the Merchant's District, you can stock up on everything you'll need to blend in. A cursory look at all the clothing and it's clear that the Mountain Clan style focuses on a more powerful look, with broad shoulder accents and thick fabrics. Both men and women wear kimonos, but it seems men's fashion changes depending on their age and marital status. Time to figure out those backstories! There are several more items for sale as well, as long as you're willing to pay -- or if you're particularly good at sleight of hand.

The Commoner's District, derogatorily called the Slums by some, is where many of the lower class Mountain Clan work and live. Those who don't have the coin to buy a space in the Merchant's District sell their wares here; they are at a lower price, but often of lower quality as well, unless you're particularly lucky. This is the most densely populated area of the Celestial Mountains, and also the most egalitarian. Here, both men and women must do the same work to provide for their families. However, you will still find that the prevailing cultural attitude supports the matriarchy.

On the other side of town is the Noble's District, which is patrolled by guards on regular routes. Men on their own will arouse suspicion in this area, as will anyone in any garb but the noble disguise. Troublemakers will be asked to leave and unceremoniously escorted out. Those who manage to stay will be able to find conversation with the nobility, many of whom are high-ranking military leaders.

The rest of the town belongs to the lower to upper middle class, who are friendliest to women or groups with at least one woman in them. Women's reactions to sole men may range from dismissive to awkward, although men alone are not in any danger of angry or violent reactions (as long as they don't provoke anyone).

▸ SPRING FESTIVAL

After a bit of time for exploring, a new message flashes in front of recruits' eyes.

New event scheduled: MOUNTAIN CLAN FESTIVAL.

» INFORMATION: Analysis of all mentions of 'festival' since the arrival of OPHELIA suggests heavy HANABIRAN presence at this time, during which guild members may wish to gather intel.

It appears as though Ophelia has arrived just in time for the Spring Festival, a yearly celebration in honor of the changing of seasons. Plum and cherry trees throughout the Celestial Mountains flower in white and pink blossoms, creating a cheerful atmosphere as the population goes about their daily business during the day. Workers view the flowers during their lunch and tea times, and nobles can be found strolling through gardens in the Noble's District at all times.

In the early afternoon, food stalls begin to appear in the Merchant's District, and by the late afternoon, the festival is in full swing: dumplings, noodles, persimmons, and skewered meat are available at various stalls, as well as plenty of sake. Other stalls sell beautifully designed kites, fans, and kimonos, and as the sun begins to sink down, some stalls begin to sell incense-stick fireworks.

There are also games to take part in, from the light-hearted collaborative ball game kemari, to an archery competition, the winners of which are rewarded with plums and sake. An old man near the archery competition invites any passersby to join him in a game of Go, and he'll even offer to teach foreigners the rules of the game. There is also a falconry competition for the nobles, but unless you have a disguise, you'll just have to content yourself with watching.

With so many people milling around, it's a good time to ask questions and try to get a feel for the political opinions of the people of the mountain clan. They are all in favor of their empress ruling Hanabira, supporting the spread of their traditional culture over the more lax culture of the sea clan. If asked their opinions on how to ensure there is no war, suggestions will range from preemptively killing the sea empress and her army, to banishing them across the sea. It should be noted that the mountain clan is not especially known for their expertise in diplomacy.

As the sky darkens, fireworks light up the sky. It's very beautiful, but also very distracting -- the perfect time for something to go wrong.

▸ AN AMBUSH

The fireworks are loud, and everyone -- even guards milling around -- are looking skyward toward the display. No one notices the danger until it's too late.

A scream pierces the air, and everything after that happens quick and sudden: people are running in all directions, panicked, trying to escape. Stands are knocked over and food goes flying through the air. A merchant struggles to reach her wife, caught across the fearful throng of festivalgoers. It's chaos.

As the panicked crowd begins to thin, those of Ophelia who stay behind to help will see the cause -- women wearing clothes of the sea clan and masks covering their faces are laying waste to the festival ground. They begin to set stalls ablaze, and though they aren't targeting any civilians, a handful lay dead or injured, crushed by the panicked stampede.

Guards rush in to stop the women, and they could probably use help; they will be trying to capture them, but if your character is killing an ambusher instead, please let the mods know with a link to the thread.

For those who aren't the fighting type, there are plenty of other things to do -- direct traffic, try to rescue civilians from the stampede, or go find someplace to hide yourself. Once the immediate trouble is dealt with, the festival unceremoniously ended, the civilians drift back to their homes to begin a restless sleep. If your character hasn't found lodgings for the night yet, they'd better get that matter settled soon.

The morning after the ambush, there is tension and unease in the air. The people of the mountain clan mutter about taking revenge or continuing peaceably; the ambush and its effect on their relations with the sea clan is the topic of the day. Was this an attack sanctioned by the Empress of the Crashing Wave? Were these sea people acting of their own volition? Does it matter?

The festival grounds could use cleaning up, and tending to the injured can be a good way to ingratiate foreigners (that's you) to the mountain clan. Otherwise, the forests of the Celestial Mountains are open for exploration, or the Flowerlands and its farms below.

▸ OOC NOTES

Welcome to the first mission of the season! Apps are now closed and will remain closed until the mission is over. If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ.

▸ The festival and ambush lasts one IC day, after which characters may continue to explore. Areas currently open are the Land of Celestial Mountains or the Flowerlands. The Empire of the Crashing Wave will be introduced in the next log on 3 February.

▸ The Bounty Board is now live, as well as an items page. The February calendar will go live in late January.

▸ January AC will go up on 1 February. You will only need to supply one proof. February AC will require full activity.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[But he is a hulking awkward crow.

And if that wasn't obvious enough, there is a long pause of silence after she mentions that she has not found a place yet. Some instinct tells him that he should offer her shelter, but literally every other piece of logic in his head wards him away from the idea -- not because of what the guard had tried to suggest, but simply because he and Rey...

Well, they weren't friends. They were barely allies. Just days ago, they were enemies.

This thing suddenly begs to be defined, leaving the only sound between them the crunch of the ground under their feet as they moved.]

What of your friends?

[He doesn't specify which ones. He knows now that she seems to be doing better in that department since her tenure with ALASTAIR. It feels odd to even ask, suggesting that he has some measure of care or investment in her well-being.

And--he supposes that he does. If he wanted her as an ally after all this was done, she would have to be taken care of. He would have to put some extra investment, instead of relying on her to simply fall in step because they shared a bond in the Force.

Their fates might have been intertwined, but -- what did that even mean? The answer seems less and less clear, the more time goes on.]

I haven't asked.

[ haven't, but will. that seems to be dismissed as a given. she handles it lightly, and she seems much less concerned about her own accommodations than she has appeared about his. after all, a woman wandering around is different than a man doing so in a place like this. ]

A demon boy was sleeping in one of the trees near the summit. The guards weren't bothering him, so ... [ if she has to go out of town and sleep in the wilderness she will, basically. that's a choice she is prepared to make. rey is entirely too used to having to compromise on safe and clean accommodations.

in fact it's really weird that she does not seem to even recognize the oddity of this willingness, or the fact that from anyone else, it would seem self-pitying. she's just like that's the way it goes sometimes, you know ??? sometimes you sleep on a bench outside of luke skywalker's hut even though it's cold because he's being antisocial and you need to corner him. ]

[And for Kylo Ren, who has lived nowhere but the inside of command ships and senator's lodgings, that is not acceptable. The huts at the Jedi temple don't count. He frowns lightly, the moment when he remembers that Rey was raised in a literal junkyard full of sand.

He recognizes that she plans to ask her friends, but he cannot help but comment on the idea that she's going to be sleeping outside. Don't be such a messy mess, Rey.]

He is a male. You are not. You will rouse suspicion, sleeping outdoors.

[She was a woman, dressed the part, and was in good standing (as far as he knew). He is starting to sound way more concerned than he wants to. Its not his business -- he should just let her make her mistakes.

But that would also endanger the mission, potentially. Why is everything so complicated all of a sudden?]

[ he might be right. that's another angle of the idea to wrestle with. but she's also planning on leaving town to explore the flowerlands in the coming days, so maybe leaving with a bad reputation wouldn't necessarily be problematic.

unless, of course, she acknowledges that she'll likely have to return at some point. the mission demands they understand how to pass freely between all regions of this land. she shrugs her shoulders finally. ]

People sleep outside in all corners of the galaxy. [ there are homeless, even on coruscant. she's sure of that without ever seeing it. how much suspicion could it possibly raise?

she settles on calling him out. ] Wherever I end up, I'll be fine. And if I'm not, you'll likely be the first to know. You don't have to worry about me.

This isn’t our galaxy. Its a matriarchy.

[And then she just steps up and calls him out which, naturally, gets him to square his shoulders importantly and causes his frown to deepen. You kicked his ass once. Don’t insult him by suggesting that he is worried you might catch cold.]

It is not your safety I question.

[The fact that her “friends” haven’t been looking after her well-being, maybe. But just barely. More, that there is the mission to consider, and that she is in the best position she will ever be in to take advantage of a higher social status. The sooner someone was able to get into the gossip circles, the better.

And it wasn’t going to be him, because he is a dude.]

Edited 2018-01-18 00:24 (UTC)

[ she arches her eyebrows like are you about to tell me what's wrong with a gd matriarchy ?? ? ? let's not dig into the possible life experiences involved in growing up starving in a backwater in a patriarchal universe.

for that reason alone, but also the many others, it's good that he moves to another argument. back to the mission, then. maybe she'd given him too much credit, thinking it might just be that he gave a damn about her. or maybe not. ]

You didn't care about rousing suspicion when you were trying to murder those women in masks.

[If Rey's goal was to get him to clam up, she succeeds handily. No, she is right, he had not cared about trying to murder those women, and any excuse he would have tried to give would have easily rung false. But verbally admitting that maybe he had an ounce of interest in her well-being seems...

It would be admitting weakness. To himself, and to her. If there is anyone he cannot afford to give that information to, its Rey.

There is a long pause.]

I am not a very diplomatic individual.

[Which isn't quite admitting that she is right, but the equivalent of "well, you're not wrong".]

[ she laughs. it's just ... such an obvious thing to say, and she's put herself at ease here in this situation despite the oddity of it, that it just comes out. it's not mocking him by any measure.

if anything, it mocks them both, the ridiculousness of this situation they've found themselves in. of the fact that they're having this conversation at all, that kylo ren walks behind her in strained self-examination. and how absurd, really, that he should need to explain to the girl he had confined and hunted that he is no diplomat. ]

I'd noticed that, actually.

[ and more strangely, perhaps, she does not appear to begrudge him it. his methods, perhaps, but not his awkwardness. she had, after all, been the one to bullrush him in the absence of any better means of disarming the situation.

hell, even beyond the ambush. she's been struggling with that very flaw in herself since the moment they dropped into hanabira. ]

[Kylo Ren does not share her laughter, but it does put him at a bit more at ease. That is about the moment he decides they desperately need to separate.]

Good.

[Good? Had he needed something to say that badly? Survey says yes.

But even Kylo knows that was the wrong thing to say (Seriously, what was I even trying to say?), so he hastily clears his throat and immediately starts looking around for. Something. Anything to get him out of this situation that isn't just walking off in another direction and hoping she doesn't follow.

The Commoner's district isn't far. He could just sprint--]

All I meant was that you should take advantage of the amenities you are offered, while they are still available. Instead of putting yourself at risk of needing to explain why you do not have a bed.

[Phew. Word vomit.]

[ she puzzles, briefly, over that reaction. 'good'? what, because he'd been trying to intimidate her, or because he didn't want to be diplomatic?

but his attention is off her in an instant, so it doesn't matter much that her brow is furrowed. in fact, his eyes are everywhere but on the woman he's speaking to, and he does continue speaking. more than she's ever heard him say in a single breath, in fact.

what just happened? ]

And I suppose they'll be on high alert where outsiders are concerned as news of this spreads. [ she sighs. ] I'll see what I can do. [ is that what he wants? for her to just tell him he's ~~pretty~~ right? she plans to see what poe and finn have settled on anyway. it doesn't seem like an overly significant concession to make. ] Fair?

[ placating kylo ren that she will be ok .................. weird.

no, not kylo ren. ben solo. she repositions that in her mind and it makes perfect sense, somehow. but that starts her down the road of thinking about han. when he handed her the blaster on takodana, he made much the same expression, side-stepped his sentiments in much the same way, and—

it hurts too much to continue down this path. she looks away from ben. she almost says it — you look so much like him — but he doesn't want to hear that. 'i didn't,' he'd said when she asked why she hated han solo. that makes it even more confusing, somehow. she still doesn't have answers. ]

I've been looking after myself a long time. You don't have to ... [ she waves, both vague and emphatic. solo men and their well-intended hovering. ]

[He nods once in agreement.

Perhaps predictably, her reply does not calm him down -- at least, not visibly. Its the answer some distant part of him wanted, but most of his discomfort is born of simply being in the presence of another human in a social setting for this long. He's running out of things to say, things to do or contemplate, and the silence that fills the space is deafening.]

I know.

[And he does. He has several scars that confirm the fact. This time, he glances down at her, if only to accent that fact. He knows very well that she can take care of herself. And he does not have any desire to take care of her. That is not the kind of ... arrangement they have.

Thought, in that moment he glances down at her, he realizes that -- perhaps they are not on the same page, in that respect. After all, she had come to his aid when she had sensed him about to tip over the edge. She'd insisted that he receive attention for a wound that could not be mended any further than it already had.

She does not think he can take care of himself. And it causes him to look away and frown lightly.]

I do not desire to be a babysitter.

[And I don't want one either.]

[ picking up on his meaning leaves her feeling foolish. she rubs the back of her head, feeling the yank of her ponytail all over again as the masked woman hauled her back off of him. it still smarts — but it's her dignity that's bruised.

she readies a defense: that she's not babysitting him, just trying to offer him help. god knows he's apparently gone so long without that that he can't tell the difference anymore. but she bites down on it. she can't find a way to say it without sounding ...

defensive? well, she is. but instead she stops in the middle of the road and turns to him, scrutinizing. better to turn it back on him. ]

What do you want to be?

[ what a big question. she just lays it out there. ]

[While Rey stops, he carefully tips his shoulder to side step her and keeps walking forward. The bond rubber-bands, and he can sense the way her emotions wrestle with each other before she drops the proverbial bomb of a question. It bleeds for a moment, causing him to carefully tap his leg with one finger in a rapid, nervous twitching motion in an effort to shut it down.

If he knew the answer to that question, he wouldn't be here with Hathaway. He would have trusted the Force, and let destiny carry him to where he was meant to be. So he keeps walking, like he had not even heard her. He closes himself off.

In truth, its a loaded question no matter which way he tries to answer it. What do you want to be? He is willing to bet Rey can't answer that question either.]

Alone.

[That's the easy answer, and he says it without looking back. It's not entirely true (not even remotely close to being true, the more he thinks about it -- what was it that he had said in the hut on Ahch-To?), but its true enough in these moments when he is being forced to confront existential questions.

Shut down. Cut them off. Compartmentalize. Wait for it to pass.]

[ rey draws up short as he brushes past her like a cold whip of air. she stills, the hair on the back of her neck prickling with — disappointment? dread? loss? she shifts her shoulders, working through it, and turns on one heel to watch him walk away. an answer dies on her lips. what is there to say? that she'd thought —

it doesn't matter. not really. he's made himself perfectly clear.

all of her organs sort of plummet down into her gut, piling up behind her belly button. yes. loss is right. not loss of anything real, only what she'd thought she had.

she thinks, maybe, she made up those moments on the island inside her head. but she can still feel the warmth of the fire piercing the cold shock of the damp that soaked her to the bone as she poured herself out to him.

whatever she wanted to get out of this, she won't get it now. she drops her gaze. hesitates a moment longer — maybe he'll stop, or change his mind, or ... these are the thoughts that kept her anchored on jakku. realizing it brings a dark and crushing wave of shame that summons the burn of tears behind her eyes.

she turns away then, walks back the way she came to regroup with finn. to contact poe. to find a place out of the cold. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject